Magazines were the dominant mass medium in the United States from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. The term "magazine" itself originates with British monthlies, beginning in 1731 with the Gentleman's Magazine. Eighteenth-century American magazines were largely reprints from books, newspapers, and other magazines, often from England. Individual eighteenth-century magazines circulated locally to only a few hundred and were short lived. Many were church affiliated, and they included a children's magazine, a music magazine, and women's magazines. Group work Task: Read the encyclopedia entry about the history of American magazines Gale Encyclopedia of US History:Magazines. Choose the most important dates in the history of American magazines and fill the timeline. Add images or videos to the timeline.
The two primary divisions of American magazine spectrum are magazines and journals.Within the family of magazines, there are two major groupings: consumer and business (or trade). Consumermagazinesare publications of general or specialized interest either sold or given free to the public. Magazines grew enormously in the post-World War II period. Every field of interest is represented. There are more than one hundred that deal with sports; more than one hundred computer magazines for consumers; thirty-five on horses, riding, and breeding; almost five hundred trade magazines on medicine and surgery; and about a hundred on engineering and construction. Within the consumer area there are two divisions: specialized and general. Specialized magazines aim at smaller communities of readers who share values, interests, or social identity. There are more than forty special categories listed by the Magazine Publishers of America trade organization. These include magazines organized around sports and leisure activities, travel and geography, lifestyle and age. There are also gender-based specialty magazines aimed at men and women; political and literary magazines for “elite” readers; magazines for cultural minorities, referred to distinctions regarding race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Business magazines are those that deal with the commercial and financial aspects of particular industries or businesses. Many business magazines operate on a controlled circulation basis, that is, their readers get the magazines free. Whether to go with paid or controlled circulation is obviously a critical decision for the business-magazine publisher. A secondary division of the magazine spectrum is journals. Eleven publishers, located in all parts of the country, issue about a hundred scientific, technical, medical, and literary journals.
The list of US magazines
Task: From the list of US magazines choose one and make a short review of it. Add a magazine cover with an Internet version link to the poster.
Magazines review Task: Add your review to this page.
1. The history of American magazines
2. The American magazine spectrum
3. The list of US magazines
3.1. Magazines review
See also
References
The Earliest American Magazines
Magazines were the dominant mass medium in the United States from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century.The term "magazine" itself originates with British monthlies, beginning in 1731 with the Gentleman's Magazine. Eighteenth-century American magazines were largely reprints from books, newspapers, and other magazines, often from England. Individual eighteenth-century magazines circulated locally to only a few hundred and were short lived. Many were church affiliated, and they included a children's magazine, a music magazine, and women's magazines.
Group work Task: Read the encyclopedia entry about the history of American magazines Gale Encyclopedia of US History:Magazines. Choose the most important dates in the history of American magazines and fill the timeline.
Add images or videos to the timeline.
History of magazines on Dipity.
Magazine Spectrum
The two primary divisions of American magazine spectrum are magazines and journals.Within the family of magazines, there are two major groupings: consumer and business (or trade). Consumer magazinesare publications of general or specialized interest either sold or given free to the public. Magazines grew enormously in the post-World War II period. Every field of interest is represented. There are more than one hundred that deal with sports; more than one hundred computer magazines for consumers; thirty-five on horses, riding, and breeding; almost five hundred trade magazines on medicine and surgery; and about a hundred on engineering and construction.
Within the consumer area there are two divisions: specialized and general.
Specialized magazines aim at smaller communities of readers who share values, interests, or social identity. There are more than forty special categories listed by the Magazine Publishers of America trade organization. These include magazines organized around sports and leisure activities, travel and geography, lifestyle and age. There are also gender-based specialty magazines aimed at men and women; political and literary magazines for “elite” readers; magazines for cultural minorities, referred to distinctions regarding race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation. Business magazines are those that deal with the commercial and financial aspects of particular industries or businesses. Many business magazines operate on a controlled circulation basis, that is, their readers get the magazines free. Whether to go with paid or controlled circulation is obviously a critical decision for the business-magazine publisher.
A secondary division of the magazine spectrum is journals. Eleven publishers, located in all parts of the country, issue about a hundred scientific, technical, medical, and literary journals.
The list of US magazines
Task: From the list of US magazines choose one and make a short review of it.
Add a magazine cover with an Internet version link to the poster.
Magazines review
Task: Add your review to this page.
See also
References